To be eligible for the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) Part I Examination, Candidates must graduate from an orthopaedic surgery residency program accredited by Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. For Candidates trained outside of the United States, there are two alternate pathways, listed below.
Candidates must meet all requirements in the appropriate alternate pathway and be approved by the ABOS Credentials Committee to be approved to sit for the ABOS Part I Examination. Please review the Rules and Procedures closely to make sure you meet all requirements. The Application Deadline for all ABOS Part I Candidates is October 1 (late deadline of October 15) of the year prior to the Examination. Any questions about either of the alternate pathways should be directed to Sonya Parker.
Candidates Trained in Canada
Candidates must complete orthopaedic surgery training in a program approved by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and must have passed the certification examination in orthopaedic surgery of the Royal College before eligible to apply for the ABOS Part I Examination.
The Program Director of the Candidate’s Canadian program must complete and submit a complete listing of the Candidate’s educational experiences (rotations) and dates attended during their residency, must certify that the Candidate has achieved a satisfactory level of competence, and must attest that the Candidate is qualified for the ABOS Board Certification process.
Candidates Trained Outside the United States or Canada
The ABOS offers the Academic Pathway for orthopaedic surgeons trained outside of the United States or Canada and who serve as full-time academic teaching faculty at an ACGME-accreted residency program.
The goal of the ABOS Academic Pathway is to enable truly exceptional academic orthopaedic surgeons who have received their graduate medical education outside of the United States or Canada to have the opportunity to become Board Certified through the ABOS. This pathway is intended for individuals who will contribute to the field of orthopaedic surgery through scholarship and education.
Requirements include:
- Independently practiced for at least 5 years in the United States while serving on the full-time academic teaching faculty in a single ACGME-Accredited Orthopaedic Residency Program
- Have shown excellence as a clinician, educator, and researcher
- Achieved the academic rank of Associate Professor or higher at the time of application
- Letters from Department Chair and Program Director of the current residency program
- Letters of reference from 3 ABOS Diplomates
- CV
- Documentation of completion of orthopaedic surgery residency program and applicable certification examination in the country of training
